What a trooper Bryce is: He’s proving himself to be such a strong little guy in the face of a lot of adversity …

Kyle went with Bryce for the lumbar puncture, which went just fine. He was quite groggy afterward, but once he finally woke up, was ready for a big bottle; he hadn’t eaten since around 11 am in preparation for the procedure. He was greeted in his room by Mommy and Daddy, Grandpa Bart and Grandma Wendy, Papa Tom and Grandma Sue, and Uncles Jake and Josh.

Around 8pm, the neurologist came in with initial information from the spinal tap: They don’t believe he has an autoimmune condition, though they are doing more specific testing around this today. They are also running genetic tests, results of which won’t be available for anywhere from two weeks to a month. We’ll continue to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY that as these tests roll in, they come back negative.

So far today, Bryce has been seen by an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor, an occupational therapist, and a steady stream of nurses and residents. After three days in the hospital, he knows, unfortunately, that when the door opens to his room, he’s probably going to get poked and prodded in some way: His heart rate jumps significantly each time someone other than Mom or Dad approaches him. They’re comforting him by reading books — he loves his new sound book from the hospital gift shop — and just holding him as much as they can.

At this point, we’re not sure how much longer they’ll be in the hospital. It will likely depend on what they learn from some of the more immediate tests they’re running. We do know that whenever they get home, Bryce will be working regularly with a physical therapist, and probably an occupational therapist, too, to rebuild his strength.

I forgot to mention yesterday that Bryce also had an eye exam, and his vision is great. No concerns there!

More updates to come as we learn more. Thanks so much to all of you out there who are keeping Bryce, Jenna, Kyle, and family in your thoughts and prayers. They are grateful to each and every one of you.